Magazine

What's a floating garden? A very green place that floats: here in fact plants and flowers draw their nourishment directly from the water, creating sophisticated, spectacular structures like suspended terraces and alternative and eco-sustainable irrigation methods. This trend, which today is inspiring garden design projects at an international level, has its roots in one of the seven wonders of the world: the hanging gardens of Babylon, the creation of which is attributed – according to different interpretations – either to King Nebuchadnezzar or Queen Semiramis.

The last ten years could be remembered as those in which the world's greatest architects have worked to merge the geometry of solid shapes with the elements of nature: that is the reason why we have seen greenery sprouting directly from the walls of buildings, water reflected in large surfaces overhanging seas and rivers and floating shapes following the wind wave.

After exploring some examples of green and sustainable architecture, today we travel among some of the most famous works of architecture of the Twenty-Tens (2010-2020).

How can we fully celebrate the combination of practical needs and aesthetic inspiration when we want to create or renovate a residential garden?

To answer this and other questions, we interviewed Dutch landscape architect and garden designer Erik van Gelder, who works by being inspired by natural elements, transforming them into shapes and materials.

Did you know that on Instagram the hashtag #gardendesign has more than 2 million posts?

Having taken a look at some of these many posts, we have selected 5 Instagram profiles that gardening enthusiasts can’t resist, to discover shots, details and perspectives that can be an inspiration for their outdoor greenery.

They were first invented in the United States and are now popular in Europe too. Today, the hashtag #tinyhouses on Instagram has more than 1,371,122 posts, and there are many blogs offering advice on how to make one, featuring the stories and life experiences of people who have decided to live in less than 30 square metres.

But is it really possible to live in such a confined space for a long period of time? Let's learn together what tiny houses are, their advantages and disadvantages.

Order, symmetry, elegance: these are the three keywords of the Italian garden – also known as a "formal" garden – which has profoundly influenced the history of gardening since ancient times. In fact, it is precisely the Italian style that inspired the romantic, refined French gardens and, in contrast, the wild English gardens, where freedom of expression triumphs.

How much have these outdoor spaces changed in the last ten years and how will they change in the future? And how can we recount our living spaces in a world that is constantly changing, even using increasingly fluid, shared and innovative means of communication? 

To answer some of these questions we interviewed Giorgio Tartaro – journalist, author and TV presenter – who has been working on architectural and communication projects for some time.

Open spaces where the horizon is lost among wild flowers and the rays of the rising sun filter through sparse trees and reflect off the sparkling morning dew: such endless landscapes are the inspiration behind meadow gardens, an American and Anglo-Saxon trend that recalls prairies and green expanses embracing woods and moors.